What to Expect

Everyone is welcome at St Ives Community Church- whether you've never been to church before, or you've been going to church your whole life. We recognise that going somewhere new can be an uncertain experience, so we would love to let you know some of what you can expect when you visit us on a Sunday.

Our church is non-demoninational- we see ourselves as a family of believers who gather to be mutually encouraged by one another and the Word of God as it is taught, prayed and sung. The atmosphere is informal and relational- we really enjoy being together!

What time should I arrive?

If you are new to church, we suggest you arrive around 10:30am for a cuppa before our teaching time. We aim to start this part of our service around 10:45am. There are always people around beforehand to make you feel welcome.

How long does the service go for?

Our teaching time usually runs for one hour, from around 10:45-11:45am.

We also celebrate the Lord's Supper each week, with a prayer and communion time preceding the teaching time, from 10:00-10:30.

You are very welcome to join us for morning tea which follows the service, or for lunch on the first Sunday of each month.

What happens during the service?

While the order and timings may vary, there are some things which are common to all of our church services. We begin the morning with a time of prayer and communion which is an opportunity for followers of Jesus to remember and give thanks for His life, death and resurrection.

After a brief break, we move into our teaching time. God's people are a singing people- we generally do a mixture of timeless hymns and more contemporary songs of praise. We have someone lead the church in a time of prayer to God. We hear testimonies from believers. We hear the Bible read and preached (the sermon usually goes for around 30 minutes). We then break for a time of morning tea together.

Our communion time begins with a brief introduction, followed by a time of open contribution, where anyone is welcome to offer words, prayers, or readings for encouragement. This leads into a time of remembering the Lord's Supper, taking bread and grape juice together.

Our children and youth attend concurrent groups during the teaching time.

What participation is required?

All of this might be unfamiliar to you and that's okay - you're welcome to just watch and listen in, and nothing is expected of you. We want you to feel welcome without fear of being asked to do anything you're uncomfortable with. Of course, while you can remain as anonymous as you want to be, we encourage you to introduce yourself to us - we'd love to meet you.

Are children welcome?

Absolutely! Church is for people of all ages. We have a 'Kids Church' for Primary school-aged children, as well as a group for High Schoolers. Both of these take place during our teaching time.

Kids and adults join together for our prayer and communion time, and then the children go to their groups. They are well cared for by trained leaders, who have all received child protection qualifications. You are of course welcome to sit in on the children's programmes and watch what happens.

What should I wear?

We have no set dress code: whatever you are comfortable wearing is absolutely fine.

Accessibility

Our church has plenty of parking, including a number of dedicated disabled/accessible car spaces. There is wheelchair access and an internal lift between the main and the lower halls.